At the halfway point of her course, we speak to current MA Post Production student Catherine Pearce about inspirations, life as an international student and her recent Industry Project – which sees MetFilm School students create content for a real-life external client.

On discovering Post Production…

The first interaction I had with the Post Production side of Filmmaking was in my Undergraduate degree, where I was made Editor on a couple of student films. I loved the fact that I was the person who put together the final product and was able to help shape the story and the overall film.

There are many different areas in Post Production, and I want to focus on the assembly edit, which is putting the story together. All great films are built on a good narrative, and I want to be able to point to the next Star Wars, or Peaky Blinders, and say that I was part of that.

On being an International student…

I had visited the UK previously and fell in love with London as a city. Travel has always been a part of my life and, although the Filmmaking scene in Australia is growing, I knew London was the place to start my film career. So many amazing films and television shows are based within the UK or Europe, so it made sense for me to base myself in the home of what I love.

It was a little difficult moving. Australia is quite far away, and I definitely miss real sunshine! However, a lot of people at MetFilm School are international, so there is a definitely a community among us. It’s really great to have such a cultural mix – each person brings something different and it means that wherever you travel, you generally know someone who can show you around.

On London life…

London is a great place to study. Whatever you are interested in, there is a place you can visit or a group you can join. I love the theatre, so being so close to West End is a dream come true. Exploring the city at your own pace is a really good idea. You can definitely find people who want to explore the same things you do, so take advantage of that. Sometimes, plugging in your headphones and wandering the streets can be just as good. Because so many films and shows are based in London, you occasionally stumble across a film set or recognize a place that you’ve seen on screen, which I always really enjoy.

On surprise learnings…

We’ve recently been finalizing a major project for external clients, and the one thing that keeps catching me out is just how much detail goes into everything that we create – particularly in Post Production. From the exact specifications of the camera, the minute percentage of a colour grade, to the technical parameters of exporting a final product. It all has to be just right, which is part of the magic of film and television.

On the MA Industry Project…

The industry project is an external piece of work that brings together all the different disciplines within a cohort. The producers find a client, and then everyone comes together to create a piece of content for their website, or social media, or whatever else they want. It’s been a crazy schedule – my cohort is the largest group that has ever done this, but we are all working really hard and enjoying it. Learning how to work to an industry standard, presenting to all variety of clients including well-known global brands and names and collaborating with each other has all been a really useful and exciting experience. But if I hear one more person saying that you can ‘fix it in post’, I might just lose it!

On a recent inspiration…

I recently watched A Quiet Place, a horror film directed by John Krasinski. I’m not normally a fan of horror, but my tutor at Met encourages all of us to push our boundaries, so I decided to branch out. We had also recently done some work on sound, and this film, in particular, is being widely praised for its sound design. There is very little dialogue, so I was aware of each sound element that the film had, including the importance of the music, and how a lack of sound can also have a huge effect. It was a really good film, and although I haven’t been converted to a horror fan, I really enjoyed it.